22-Tropical+seasonal+forest+(4)+Camille+Nguyen,+Ana+Espaderos,+Mohammed+Fraaz

=TROPICAL SEASON  FOREST = where are the refs? = = = = =Introduction: = ==Tropical seasonal forests can be found in India, South East Asia, West Africa, the West Indies and Northern Australia. They are located between the tropical rain forests and the tropical Savannahs. The tropical seasonal forest’s wetter counterpart is the tropical rainforest; its drier counterpart is the tropical dry forest. These forests have a distinct wet and dry season. They have fewer climbing plants than the tropical rain forests. Many species are deciduous in eastern North America, western Europe, and Asia.== 

=Flora: =

Many of the trees and shrubs found in this type of habitat are deciduous, losing their leaves at the beginning of the dry season.

 * ==The trees shed their leaves in the dry season to conserve soil moisture and do not grow close together. The oldest trees in the tropical seasonal forest are the bristle cone pines. They are believed be more than 4,600 years old.Trees in the tropical seasonal forests tend to be larger than trees in eastern Canadian forests. They can grow to heights of 100 feet (30 metres).==
 * ==Because the trees are not as close to each other as in a rainforest, more sunlight is allowed to reach the forest floor.==

More light penetration and more understory vegetation than a tropical rainforest

 * ==Vegetation turns green during a wet season.==
 * ==There are up to 40 species of trees in the small forests.==
 * ==The dry forests consist of trees, shrubs, and undergrowth of different heights which form a canopy.==
 * ==For a long dry season, plants grow thorns to protect themselves from grazing animals.==
 * ==e.g. lotus, ironwood, acacias, columnar, jumping cholla, and barrel cactus==




 * Fauna: **

Animals in the tropical seasonal forest have adapted to survive in the arid, dry seasons.

 * ==Many of them are nocturnal, gathering their food in the cooler night to conserve the water in their bodies.==
 * ==These animals have a night vision 6 times greater than that of humans’ which enables them to hunt at night and makes them more adapted to the tropical seasonal forest.==
 * ==e.g. bobcats, tigers==



These animals have adapted to blend into their surroundings during the dry seasons

 * ==They hide with rocks and dry bushes.==
 * ==They blend in with the brown colours which make them harder to be noticed and easier for the to catch prey.e.g. mountain lions, coyotes==

These mammals have adapted to the tropical seasonal forest because they can hide in the soil during the dry and wet seasons and easily find their foods there.

 * ==e.g. shrews, Merriam’s kangaroo rats==

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 * Seasonal Temperatures: **


 * ==In the Dry Season, temperatures can be as low as 81 degrees to 99 degrees==
 * ==In the Wet Season, temperatures can be as low as 77 degrees to 85 degrees Soil in this biome is fairly fertile and can be farmed due to high decomposition rates, but low amount of precipitation constrains plants from using the soil nutrients that are released.==


 * Seasonal Precipitation: **

- Dry Season: About 40mm of rainfall

 * Human Impacts/Interactions: **

__Agriculture Burning__
==The topical seasonal forest makes a perfect spot for agricultural farming; hence as a result humans have continued to pose a threat to the land. Farmers have burned many acres to make way for farmland. Deforestation due to agricultural needs is a major problem concerning the tropical seasonal forest.==